Our Intern of the Month: Chioniso Jakazi

Related Blogs

Meet our incredible Intern in Britain intern of the month, Chioniso! She's had the most amazing time exploring Great Britain and interning at a food-sharing app in London. Let's have a quick catch up with our internship superstar...

Tell us a bit about yourselves, Chio!

I am currently a Junior (3rd year) Bachelor of Science Nutrition major at Abilene Christian University and received my high school diploma, which was composed of A level and Level education from Peterhouse Girls in Zimbabwe.

And where did you hear of BUNAC’s Intern in Britain program?

Through the CIEE study abroad program.

How did you find the BUNAC process and service, from signing up, the assistance provided to the communication throughout your internship?

Everything was most efficient and convenient for me!

That's great to hear! Tell us a bit about your internship. What have you been doing and what does your placement involve?

I interned with OLIO in London (the local sharing revolution). It is a food sharing app that targets a useful way to deal with food waste.

What were your day-to-day responsibilities at your placement?

Faith-based community projects that involved drafting up advertisements and interviews for those who were interested in discussing how they deal with surplus food in various faith-based communities.

An item analysis of food on the app. It required Yale scientists to analyze and evaluate all app information that will be used for the year.

Working on the back end of the app, evaluating the pattern of users and bettering the features for all, as well as posting daily on the company's social media platforms.

Traveling around London and the UK for Foodies festivals, organizing and overseeing pickups for the users on the app.

Sourcing and compiling information for a suitable HR system.

It sounds like you've gained some amazing experience! What were the highlights of your internship?

The endless learning on a social and academic level was boundless because I can honestly say that the experience has strengthened me both professionally and personally. My 'travel highlights' were Birmingham, Manchester, Brighton and Oxford - visiting these places were definitely dreams come true!

How did you find living in London?

London is a vibrant and unrelenting concrete jungle of opportunity that I thrived in. The infrastructure was everything I had imagined and more - initially I was giddy with all the nerves and expectations that come with being in the cultural melting pot that is London! My highlights were:

Going to watch top players in Wimbledon and being a part of the world famous Wimbledon queue!

The British seaside in Brighton was a definite hit for me.

Trekking around London and sampling kebabs, gelato and Indian cuisine on Oxford Street.

Having grown up in Zimbabwe - an ex-British Colony - and having attended boarding school at an Anglican school, there are some similarities that I recognized between my home town and London. Everything from food and of course plenty of hot tea! Attending school in West Texas means the emphasis is on coffee and sweet tea - this was an interesting change!

What advice would you give to someone considering taking part in BUNAC’s Intern in Britain program?

Take it all in day by day. Reflect on every experience so you know you’ve made the most of it. Journal if you can and don’t be afraid to say YES to opportunities that could challenge you. Adopting this mentality means you experience everything through a much richer lense. Seize your experience and ask questions, try new foods, visit museums or just lie down and read a book in the parks. Walk and bicycle around London as much as you can! You often don't need a map as the city is full of wonderful streets, bars and restaurants you can get lost in. Experiencing a new country while gaining professional experience is an incredible opportunity!

If you fancy leaping into a city lifestyle as an Intern in Britain like Chioniso, we promise it to be one of the best decisions you can make. You will gain invaluable skills for your future career, lifelong friendships, essential networks and, if that's not all, memories to take home with you. It's also a pretty amazing way to stand out from the crowd of candidates applying to jobs come graduation. Apply today!

Contact Information

Social

Your Financial Protection. The travel packages on this website are provided by STA travel and are protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. STA Travel’s ATOL number is ATOL 3206. Please see our booking conditions for more information. ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services shown on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking.

The BUNAC® logo and many of the programme names on this website are registered trademarks in the USA, the United Kingdom and in other jurisdictions. Company registration number: 1391030. Trading as BUNAC Travel Services Limited, Priory House, 6 Wrights Lane, London, W8 6TA.